I thought I was dying last night

[nsegal]

Well I made it to day 3 of the induction phase, and I think it almost killed me. I started feeling weird yesterday and thought it was just because I missed taking my vitamins. Last night I felt decent, but when we laid down to go to bed I felt like I was having a severe panic attack. I was short of breath, I was freezing cold and shivering, and felt like I was going to faint. It was REALLY scary, and when my wife asked me if I needed to go to the hospital I reluctantly said yes. Luckily before we went I called my Dad who is a doctor (specialist of internal medicine) and he immediately told me to drink some orange juice and eat a piece of bread.
I was so mad because I had been doing so well, and I was so excited to continue the program. I lost 5lbs in 3 days! I guess I'll have to find something else that works for me as he's convinced this put me into a hypoglycemic state, and I NEVER want to feel that way again. I was very scared.
I just wanted to say good luck to everyone else, I wish I could continue on and have a success story like you guys, but I guess I'll have to be happy with my 5lbs lost.
If anyone has any idea on what might have caused me feeling like I was going to die, I’d love to hear it

[Georgiana]

Re: I thought I was dying last night

What did you eat these 3 days? Can you post your 3 menus (incl. quantities for absolutely everything, even water or spices)? How often were you eating? How many meals?

Many folks who have hypoglycemia problems manage them well on Atkins.

[chinadoll]

Re: I thought I was dying last night

Yes, let us look at a menu.

[planetclaire]

Re: I thought I was dying last night

Are you sure it wasn't induction flu?

[pokiedot]

Re: I thought I was dying last night

I have always had panic/anxiety problems when my blood sugar gets too low... which is something that can so easily happen when you go from eating a super carby diet to one with next to no carbs. You might have just dipped down into the too-low blood sugar territory, in which case eating protein is much better for you than drinking OJ and eating bread. For me the too-low blood sugar is a definite trigger for panic, sweating, feeling cold & chattering teeth, dizziness, etc.

Make sure you're eating enough too, spreading your food throughout the day if that'll help keep your blood sugar more level. And make sure you're getting fiber, which also helps with blood sugar. If you aren't eating enough fiber, try some fiber supplements. The nice thing is that eventually your body will get used to the lower blood sugar, probably before the end of induction. Good luck

[Diver Down]

Re: I thought I was dying last night

I have always had panic/anxiety problems when my blood sugar gets too low... which is something that can so easily happen when you go from eating a super carby diet to one with next to no carbs. You might have just dipped down into the too-low blood sugar territory

Agreed. The way nsegal describes the experience during the first few days is how I felt the very first time I tried Atkins. I thought I was going to "die" in much the same way. But it's only temporary, as your body adjusts. For me it was a wake up call for how dependent I had become on carbohydrates; that motivated me to continue the diet.

[Georgiana]

Re: I thought I was dying last night

nsegal, what did you decide to do -- stay on Atkins, try something else? Are you feeling better?

[Zarabelle]

Re: I thought I was dying last night

Oh dear, sorry to hear that. It sounds pretty scary. I have also had times at night when I have had palpatations and felt panicky and have found a cup of green tea and water does it. I am also sure it is blood sugar related and usually happens if I have been drinking alcohol (I am on rung six). I hope you decide to continue as 99% of the time, I feel 100% better x

[babymama]

Re: I thought I was dying last night

Well I made it to day 3 of the induction phase, and I think it almost killed me. I started feeling weird yesterday and thought it was just because I missed taking my vitamins. Last night I felt decent, but when we laid down to go to bed I felt like I was having a severe panic attack. I was short of breath, I was freezing cold and shivering, and felt like I was going to faint. It was REALLY scary, and when my wife asked me if I needed to go to the hospital I reluctantly said yes. Luckily before we went I called my Dad who is a doctor (specialist of internal medicine) and he immediately told me to drink some orange juice and eat a piece of bread.
I was so mad because I had been doing so well, and I was so excited to continue the program. I lost 5lbs in 3 days! I guess I'll have to find something else that works for me as he's convinced this put me into a hypoglycemic state, and I NEVER want to feel that way again. I was very scared.
I just wanted to say good luck to everyone else, I wish I could continue on and have a success story like you guys, but I guess I'll have to be happy with my 5lbs lost.
If anyone has any idea on what might have caused me feeling like I was going to die, I’d love to hear it

Your metabolism might be slowing down. Usually when I get cold and shivery for no reason it's because of my metabolism and that happened to me a couple months ago when I cut out simple carbs and only ate complex carbs which didn't help with any weight loss.